Indian court convicts 31 over 2002 Godhra train blaze

AHMEDABAD: An Indian court on Tuesday convicted 31 people on conspiracy and murder charges over a deadly train fire in 2002 that triggered anti-Muslim rioting in which 2,000 people were killed.

In this photograph taken early February 28, 2002, an Indian policeman looks towards a burnt train coach and belongings of Hindu activists at Godhra Railway Station, some 200 kilometres from Ahmedabad. – Photo by AFP

The unrest, some of the worst religious violence in India since independence, was sparked after 59 Hindu pilgrims perished in a train fire at Godhra station in the western state of Gujarat.

Special public prosecutor J.M. Panchal told reporters outside the court in Ahmedabad city: “31 people have convicted under conspiracy and murder charges, 63 others have been acquitted.”